Quiet hours, house rules and living with neighbours

Newcomers to Vienna's apartment buildings commonly report a few things early on:

• Night-time quiet. The Austrian Integration Fund tells new arrivals that night-time quiet (Nachtruhe) applies from 22:00 to 6:00 and that loud shouting or music, especially at night, is not allowed.
• Written house rules. Many buildings have a Hausordnung. In Vienna's municipal housing (Gemeindebau), Wiener Wohnen's house rules set quiet hours from 22:00 to 6:00 on all seven days of the week, and shared rooms such as hobby rooms can only be used from 8:00 to 20:00 unless residents agree otherwise.
• Shared spaces kept clear. Stairwells and corridors are escape routes, so bicycles, prams and furniture are not supposed to be left there, and smoking is prohibited in lifts, stairwells and basements in municipal housing.

• Shared buildings. In apartment buildings with shared stairwells, courtyards and walls, house rules are meant to make living together workable for everyone.
• Responsibility. In municipal housing, the main tenant is responsible and liable for breaches by household members and visitors.
• Everyday noise is normal. Wiener Wohnen states that children playing in playgrounds and open areas is not considered unnecessary noise.
• Mediation is available. For conflicts in the Gemeindebau, the city's wohnpartner service helps neighbours resolve disputes free of charge, in several languages if needed.

Rules differ between buildings: private landlords and owners' associations set their own house rules, and the details (for example on balconies, gardens or shared laundry rooms) vary. Some neighbours are relaxed, others are sensitive to noise. In municipal housing, everyday chores such as vacuuming, washing or mowing a tenant garden are allowed between 6:00 and 22:00, and Wiener Wohnen's rules have no separate Sunday quiet period; private buildings may set different times. Read the house rules of your own building rather than assuming.